They did not speak of the beast.
Not directly.
But no one forgot it.
Its presence lingered in their minds—
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Wei Liang walked in silence.
His pace steady.
But his awareness—
Focused inward.
That moment.
The beast's gaze.
Its hesitation.
It wasn't fear.
It wasn't submission.
It was—
Recognition.
Wei Liang exhaled slowly.
"…So something deeper exists."
They continued forward.
More careful now.
Each step measured.
Each movement deliberate.
No one rushed.
Because now—
They understood.
This place wasn't chaotic.
It was structured.
And they were—
Inside something.
After another stretch of time—
The forest changed again.
The trees thinned slightly.
The ground—
Became uneven.
Stone began to show beneath the soil.
Cracked.
Ancient.
Wei Liang stopped.
Not alone this time.
Others noticed it too.
"…This wasn't here before," one of them said quietly.
He was right.
This wasn't natural.
Wei Liang crouched slightly.
Brushed his fingers across the surface.
Cold.
Not like normal stone.
This—
Had been shaped.
Long ago.
"…We found something," Shen Linyue murmured.
That was when the tension returned.
Not fear this time.
Something else.
Greed.
No one said it.
But everyone felt it.
Shen Jinhai stepped forward.
"…Spread out," he said.
A pause.
"…Carefully."
This time—
No one argued.
Because this—
Was opportunity.
And opportunity—
Was dangerous.
Wei Liang moved slowly.
Not searching randomly.
Observing.
Patterns.
Breaks in the ground.
Subtle shifts in qi.
Then—
He felt it.
A fluctuation.
Weak—
But distinct.
Wei Liang turned slightly.
Walked toward it.
The ground dipped.
Barely noticeable.
Then—
A crack.
Hidden beneath roots and soil.
Wei Liang knelt.
Cleared the surface.
A narrow opening.
Dark.
Cold air flowed from within.
And—
Qi.
Dense.
Pure.
Wei Liang's eyes sharpened.
"…Below."
Footsteps approached.
Too fast.
Shen Jinhai.
"…You found something."
Not a question.
Wei Liang stood.
Moved aside slightly.
Didn't block.
Didn't claim.
Because—
That wasn't the game.
Shen Jinhai looked down.
His expression shifted.
"…A ruin."
Others gathered.
Not too close.
But close enough.
"…This changes things," someone said.
Yes.
It did.
Shen Linyue crouched near the opening.
Her fingers hovered over the edge.
"…Old," she said softly.
A pause.
"…Very old."
Wei Liang remained silent.
But inside—
His thoughts accelerated.
A ruin meant—
Inheritance.
Resources.
Power.
And also—
Conflict.
Shen Jinhai straightened.
"We go down," he said.
Immediate.
No hesitation.
"…Together?" someone asked.
A pause.
Then—
"…No."
There it was.
The truth.
"This is individual," Shen Jinhai said.
"…Take what you can."
Greed—
Now open.
The group shifted.
Distance increased again.
Trust—
Gone.
Wei Liang didn't move.
He watched.
Calculated.
If they rushed—
Chaos.
If they split—
Opportunity.
Both—
Dangerous.
Shen Linyue stood.
"…You're not moving," she said quietly.
Wei Liang shook his head slightly.
"Not yet."
She smiled faintly.
"…Still careful."
Wei Liang met her gaze.
"Still alive."
She laughed softly.
"…Fair."
One by one—
They entered.
The opening swallowed them.
Darkness.
Silence.
Wei Liang waited.
Not out of fear.
Out of timing.
Then—
He stepped forward.
Entered.
The world changed.
Cold.
Still.
The air inside—
Heavy with qi.
Not wild.
Condensed.
Controlled.
The passage sloped downward.
Stone walls.
Carved.
Ancient.
Faint markings—
Barely visible.
Wei Liang moved slowly.
Listening.
Ahead—
Movement.
People.
Not fighting.
Yet.
Good.
Then—
A shift.
The pagoda.
It reacted.
Violently.
Wei Liang stopped.
His eyes sharpened.
The third floor—
Fully opened.
Light—
Flooded outward.
Not calm.
Hungry.
Something—
Inside the ruin—
Was calling it.
Wei Liang exhaled slowly.
"…So this is it."
Not just opportunity.
Not just danger.
Something more.
Something—
Connected.
He stepped forward again.
Deeper.
Because now—
Turning back—
Was no longer an option.